Walk Through 332 Acres Of Rock Formations At Kansas' Little Jerusalem Badlands
By Clarisa|Published December 08, 2019
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Clarisa
Author
Born and raised Kansan, Clarisa has lived in both tiny towns and cities during their time here in the Sunflower State. As a busy mother of one crazy kid, two cats, and two geckos, they write whenever there is spare time.
There’s a lot to love about Kansas’ beautiful landscape, and we could go on for days about all of our favorite parts. Little Jerusalem is Kansas’ newest state park, and is a great example of just how beautifully unexpected Kansas can be. There’s acres and acres of rock formations to explore here, along this brand new trail. Come check for yourself!
Welcome to a part of the Kansas niobrara chalk badlands called Little Jerusalem. It's our newest state park, having just opened in 2019.
Hundreds of acres of rock formations are now open to the public, dating back 85 million years to when there was once a sea covering western Kansas. Imagine water covering this whole area we call home!
The best way to travel through this gorgeous park is to take a guided tour or walk the trail yourself, keeping to the places marked out for you. It's important to stay on the trail, because the chalk formations are very fragile and will easily break off if disturbed.
85 million years ago, an inland sea covered most of Kansas, including ground that you're standing on in the park. The fossils hidden in the chalk here are sea and flying creatures, most of them being small prehistoric clams, oysters, and their relatives. If you're lucky and you look closely, you might spot some during your visit!
We even think bringing your binoculars will make it more interesting. With those, you might spot more of the local wildlife hiding in the rocks or flying too high to see.
If you visit Little Jerusalem Badlands at different times of the day, you'll find that the appearance of the rocks changes each time. With the changing angle of the sun, it's like a whole new landscape.
Parking day permits are $5 per car, and if you already have an annual Kansas State Parks vehicle pass, you're already set. It's open all year round from sunup to sundown.
For more information about Little Jerusalem, check out the official Nature Conservancy website. To schedule a guided tour, they ask that you call (620) 872-2061.
There’s not many places around the state where you can see large wonders like this, but we also think there’s plenty of wonders hidden in our history.
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